A multitalented group of people will decide who brings home the top prizes from Berlin, while Iran shows its colors.
Read MoreIrrfan Khan, why did you go? The world is uglier today...
Now, in the moment when we would have needed him most, Irrfan Khan has left us. He’s gone. He had been ill for the last couple of years and yet, just as with all those we deeply love and are deserving of that love, his passing was unexpected. Unwarranted. Unwanted. HIs words won’t get us out of this funk now.
Read More“Cinema has a responsibility”: An interview with Rithy Panh
Meeting Cambodian documentary filmmaker Rithy Panh in Doha, during their annual Qumra event, was a real treat for someone who believes in the power of cinema with a conscience. Apart from the Doha Film Institute's wonderful meeting of talents held within the Souq Waqif and inside the Museum of Islamic Art each March and now in its fifth edition, Panh's presence felt historic. He was a Qumra Master in 2017, came back to teach a short documentary lab at the Institute in the summer of 2018, and now is back as a Mentor -- patiently watching works in progress and meeting with filmmakers to share his wisdom.
Read MoreVisionary Producer Michel Merkt in Locarno: “I would rather surprise than be expected.”
Visionary, global, modern, iconoclastic, young and cool, Michel Merkt has revolutionized the landscape of independent cinema internationally and changed the way we go to the movies. Whereas before films like ‘Toni Erdmann’ and ‘My Life as a Zucchini’ would have been relegated to the darkened rooms of arthouse movie theaters, they are now titles that trip off global audiences tongues as easily as any blockbuster or Hollywood rom-com. And for the past decade, producing an average of five titles per year, Merkt has guaranteed his place in the firmament of star film producers.
Read More